Guardian
by tutriceange
Summary: In a world where good and evil can't coexist, the future depends on one man to set everything right. Will he choose good or evil? AU-not exactly humans. Characters are somewhat out of character due to the circumstances. Jasper, Alice, and Maria.


Ok. So this was originally written for the Superhero Contest, but I wrote down the wrong due date, so I am not participating in it. It's a little different than a regular superhero fic, but I like it. I was originally going to go with a Superman/Lois Lane love story thing, but it went completely in a new direction-surprise surprise! I hope you read it and please review to let me know what you think!

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_From humble beginnings he will arise.  
Full of power beyond imagination.  
He is to be the protector of the people  
Alone he will stand  
Alone will his destiny unfold. _

_Evil will come to him,  
Trying to sway him from his path.  
She will be persuasive, seducing him with fantasies,  
She'll try to get him to join the darkside,  
He must be strong enough to resist her. _

_The light will be the one to guide him,  
Although he will be unsure at first.  
The light will protect him from the evil one,  
so long as he trusts in her.  
She will give him his destiny. _

_Alone, he will have the greatest power known to man.  
But merged with another, he will not have control of it.  
If evil befalls him, the world will be darkened.  
The lightened one provide him the answers he seeks,  
If he is to be the phoenix he ought to be._

Jasper Whitlock was currently tied to a chair, staring at the pool of darkness before him. He couldn't remember how he got here or why he was here. "What am I doing here?" Jasper called out to no one in particular.

"You, Jasper, are here because you are going to be extremely powerful," a female voice said. He was so shocked that someone was responding to him, he didn't respond to her. "You and I…we can rule the world." The female stepped up to him, showing herself.

She was attractive and alluring. Her long, brown hair was loosely curled, hanging around her face. Her almond eyes were shinning with mischief, in an oval shaped face. Her physic was Mexican, along with her accent. Her outfit was bright red spandex with alternating slices of black fabric or exposed skin. She wore knee high, black heeled boots.

There was a strange symbol on her chest. It looked like awkward cursive, maybe some type of foreign language. He couldn't decipher it. However, that was the least of his problems right now.

"What do you mean? Who are you?" Jasper questioned her, trying to back away from her. He felt powerless under her gaze.

"You, mi amor, are the one prophesized about. You are the most powerful thing to cross this earth. You have powers unimaginable." She leaned close to him, her breath tickling his face. "You will be the most powerful person on the earth. You can rule it."

Jasper stared at her. "You must have me mistaken. I'm just a simple guy from Texas. There's nothing special about me."

"Oh, but you are mistaken, Jasper." She smiled at him, seducing him with just her presence. "Once you accept this fate, your powers will begin to show themselves. After that, we'll be unstoppable." Maria could just picture their future together. It didn't hurt anything that he was incredible handsome, but that wasn't the main objective. She needed to get him to be with her, on her side. Without him, she was useless.

Jasper was about to respond when the only windows he could see—they were like tiny bricks because they were so far away—shattered. He turned to stare at it, but couldn't make anything out.

Maria stood up, hissing. "Damn you!"

Jasper stared at the woman, confused about her outburst. Who was she talking to? Had he done something to upset her? An unknown fear seeped into his stomach, settling there as he waited for the woman to speak again.

"You didn't really expect to get away with this, did you?" a new voice asked. It was higher, and more innocent sounding.

"I was hoping you'd be too distracted to notice," Maria hissed out, glaring at the other woman.

Jasper turned to look at the other woman when he heard her laugh. It was high, like a tinkling bell and it calmed his fear. While the woman in red was seductive, this new woman was beautiful. She was shorter, probably close to a foot shorter than him, and had a pixie like face. Her short, choppy black hair added to the fairy-like image.

While the other woman had been all about showing her body, this other woman was more conservative. She wore an all white jumpsuit with a dark purple robe flowing around her. She had an air of tranquility around her.

"You should know better than that by now, Maria—shouldn't you?" The girl laughed again. "Your minions are never any trouble for me. Not only can I always see them coming, but they don't know what they're doing."

"Well, Alice," Maria snarled out. "I'm not as stupid as they are. You'll have a harder time getting past me." As soon as she finished her statement, a flame of some sort shot out from her and aimed directly at Alice.

Alice's smile changed into one of severe concentration. However, she didn't move from her spot or do anything to protect herself. She simply brought up her arms, placing her hands out in front of her. An eccentric purple haze setting in front of her, causing the flame to simply disintegrate.

Jasper thought he'd been drugged watching all of this. It just couldn't possibly be happening. Things like this just don't really happen. Maybe he was dreaming.

Maria growled and dove at Alice, but Alice kept her hands up. The purple mist shoved toward Maria, causing her to be flung backwards into the wall. Alice kept her hands up but moved her body in front of Jasper, shielding him from anything Maria might try.

"You might as well give up, Maria. You know you can't win. You can't kill him, nor will you be able to get through me. There's only one way to destroy me." Alice told her, her voice still eerily calm despite the situation and bitter vibes Maria was throwing off.

"Oh, I know that, dear Alice. Why do you think I've been searching for it for so long?" Maria told her, standing up but not coming any closer.

Alice smiled at her. "Good luck. May the best woman win."

Maria smiled her feral smile, "I plan to." She ran to the window and dove out.

Jasper called out to her, hoping she hadn't just killed herself. The woman, Alice, had put her hands down and was quickly untying him. He stood up, backing away from her and the chair. "Who are you? What do you want from me?"

Alice stood where she was, but held out her hand. "I am Alice and I'm here to protect you. I would love to answer all of your questions, but I can't right now. We must leave before she gets back." She held her hand up a little higher, silently begging him to take it, to trust her. "Please, trust me, Jasper."

Jasper felt himself grabbing her hand before he'd even really thought about it. The truth was, he trusted this woman more than anyone he ever had before in his life—and he'd only just met the girl. But when he grabbed her hand, she smiled at him and he knew he could trust her. It wasn't the malicious smile of Maria; it was a relieved smile.

She pulled him to the window, smiling out into the night. "You'll come with me to my quarters for the night. Hold on tight. She flung them both out the window, surprising him with her strength. Instead of plunging to his death like he assumed he would, they began to float toward the clouds bathing in the moonlight.

A large, puffy cloud soon engulfed them. Jasper saw another purple haze covering both him and Alice as soon as they were in the cloud. Before he could question it, the two had been transported to the abandoned bell tower of the cathedral.

There was an entire living quarters set up, complete with a bathroom, kitchen, living room, and bedroom. Every room had a different color scheme and he was surprised to find no purple or white within her living quarters—or at least what he assumed was her living quarters.

"Alice?" He called out hesitantly. "What is this place?"

Alice smiled at him, letting go of his hand. "This is where I live." She wandered into the kitchen. "Are you hungry or thirsty?" she called to him.

Jasper shook his head, taking in the sight of her before him. "No, I'm fine." He noticed that she too had a symbol on her chest in the same style as Maria's, except Alice's was in silver writing. "What does—"

Alice cut him off with a finger to his lips. "There will be plenty of time for questions tomorrow. Tonight you must rest." She took his arm, leading him to her bed. "You will sleep here tonight."

Jasper looked at her. "Alice…I…"He wasn't sure what he was trying to say.

Alice simply smiled at him in understanding. "Everything will be okay for the night. Try to just relax and sleep for you will need your rest tomorrow. I promise to answer any and all questions tomorrow when you wake up."

Jasper nodded because he didn't know what else to do. He followed her instructions, laying down on the bed. She turned to leave, but he called to her to stop her. "Thank you, Alice."

She smiled at him. "You are more than welcome. Sweet dreams." She walked out the door, her graceful gait making her seem to float on air.

Jasper smiled to himself for no particular reason other than the fact that she smiled at him. He closed his eyes, hoping sleep would find him soon. Behind his lids, his mind was full of images of Alice. The thought of her helped lull him into sleep and to mentally prepare for what tomorrow may bring.

Jasper woke up in a bed that was definitely not his. It was too big and too plush to be his own. He glanced around, the whole area seemed familiar. He'd thought he'd dreamed everything that happened yesterday. The woman, Maria, tying him to the chair and telling him that he's going to be great. Alice showing up and the fight between the two of them.

He sat up, hearing some commotion coming from the kitchen. He hesitantly walked toward it, wondering who—or what, was making that noise. He opened the door and smiled at the sight inside. Alice was dancing around the kitchen, apparently making breakfast. Her purple robe flowing around her, swirling with every movement of her arms.

"Good morning, Jasper. I trust you slept well," she greeted him without even looking up at him.

"How did you know I was here?" Jasper asked her. He hadn't been that loud.

Alice smiled at him. "I sensed it. All will be explained in time," she answered his unspoken question. She sat down and gestured toward the seat across from her. "Now, I will answer all your questions," she said once he sat down. "But only if you eat." She took a bite from her piece of toast.

Jasper took a drink of orange juice before deciding to ask some questions. "Don't take this the wrong way, but…what exactly are you? Who are you?"

Alice smiled gently at him. "That is a completely valid question. I am just like you…or like you will be. I suppose the laypeople term for what I am is a superhero. However, I prefer the term guardian."

"So…you're like Superman?" Jasper asked, digging into his eggs. He glanced up when she giggled.

"No, Superman never existed." She sighed, searching for a way to explain everything to him. She reached out, taking his hand in hers. Her eyes fluttered closed as she focused on finding the answers she searched for.

Jasper glanced at her, surprised as to what she was doing. A weird sensation coursed through his body. It felt like fire water was being taken from his body and given to Alice. But, he couldn't tell if it was just because of what she was doing to him or because she was holding his hand.

Just as quickly as it had started, it was over and she was releasing his hand. She looked at him, full of awe and wonder. She'd seen everything: who he had been, who he was transitioning into, and what he was to become. "You're going to do great things," she told him. She couldn't tell which path he would take, he hadn't decided that yet, but she could see him doing great things.

"What do you mean? Both you and that other woman, Maria, keep saying that and I don't know what you mean!" Jasper exclaimed, pushing off the table to pace. He pushed a hand through his hair, a sign of frustration.

Alice sighed, "You're right. I haven't explained much, have I?" She got up and went into a cabinet, pulling out a large book. It had the same symbol as the one on her chest and gold lining on the edges of the pages. She opened it up to the page marked by a piece of golden ribbon. She laid it out on the table in front of where Jasper had been sitting. She went and sat back down in her chair, folding her hands on top of the table. She nodded toward the book, "Read it."

Jasper sat down and read the poem inside. It talked about a person who was supposed to be extremely powerful and he must choose between two sides. He looked up at Alice. "Is this supposed to be me?"

Alice nodded, studying him carefully. "Yes, that prophesy refers to you."

Jasper stared at her. "What does that even mean? What does it have to do with me? They must be mistaken." He got up to pace again.

Alice flipped a hand, forcing the pages in the book to turn. It opened to a sketch of Jasper, as a baby, a child, a young boy, a young adult, and how he is now. He turned to Alice. "How did you know about me? Have you been stalking me?"

Alice shook her head, taking no offense to the defensive stance and tone he had taken. She had assumed as much before she would get through to him. "I've only seen you through my thoughts and visions until last night."

"I just…don't understand anything," he said quietly before sinking into a chair. He rested his head on his arms, a sign of defeat.

Alice reached across the table, gently placing her hand on his arm. "Let me explain everything. When I'm done, you can ask all the questions I haven't answered." She took a deep breath. "This prophesy was written over 2000 years ago. The person it refers to will be the protector of the world…or a 'Superman' if you want to call it that.

"You see, this world is growing darker by the minute. Everyone is getting dragged under by the seduction of darkness, or evil. That is why the world needs a protector. It needs _you_." Jasper looked up at her and she smiled encouragingly at him. "You will be the one to destroy the darkness, helping restore peace and harmony, or as much as that can be established, in the world again. That is why you are so powerful."

"But…how come you can't do that? You are much more powerful than I am," Jasper questioned her. He'd seen her and that weird force-field she exhibited.

Alice smiled, almost embarrassed. "You flatter me, Jasper. But I am no where near as powerful as you will be. You see, my powers are limited. I can see the past, present, and future. However, in order to see the past, I must be touching the object or person in question. That is how I was able to see into your past. Seeing the present isn't so much seeing as it is sensing. I couldn't really s_ee _you tied to that chair with Maria last night, I merely sensed that you were here and I had to go to you.

The future…that is much more difficult, but powerful. I can see the future if I concentrate enough on it. But it can also come to me sporadically. I don't need to be touching anything, I don't even need to be near anything for the future to come to me. That is my most powerful talent, but it is subjective. I can only see the things that are set in stone or not controlled by human decisions."

"So…could you see Maria planning on taking me?" Jasper asked her, enthralled with her story.

Alice nodded. "Yes, I saw Maria taking you, along with making three of her minions try and injure me," she laughed at the end. "Injuring me would only make me fight harder, she knew that, which is why she's going to try and get to you."

Jasper looked at her. "What do you mean? Why is she going to try and get to me? What does she want from me?"

Alice sighed. "She wants your power. If she can convince you to rule beside her, she gets all of your power. You will have no control of how your powers are used—Maria will be choosing that for you. Basically, you will have no free will if you join forces with anyone. You must be alone."

Jasper looked at Alice. He knew that he would listen to whatever she was saying because she had only been explaining things and hadn't once talked about how powerful _they_ would be. She was only concerned with his wellbeing. "But why is she so keen on taking me from you? She must know that I will follow what the prophesy says."

Alice smiled. "That's why she wants you away from me. She has…specific powers that can help…bend the way someone thinks. She can manipulate you to think a certain way, act a certain way, if you let her." She noticed Jasper shift and look away from her. "You've felt it already, haven't you?"

Jasper nodded. "Yeah, when I was with her. I felt almost like I couldn't control myself when she looked at me."

"That is what she does. She will take you from me, Jasper, and try to manipulate you into joining forces with her. You must be strong enough to resist," Alice told him gravely.

"Why will she take me from you? How can you let her?" Jasper questioned, hurt that Alice would offer him up like a lamb to a slaughter.

She squeezed his arm. "It is the way it has to be," she said sadly. "I will train you in the way you should go, but then she will take you—there's nothing I can do to stop it. If I stop it, it forces you to act out her will sooner." She aimed her eyes directly toward him. "That is why I must let you go to her."

Something in her voice sounded sad, almost scared. It made him nervous to ask his next question. "What is it she wants me to do?"

"Remember when I told you my powers were limited? I can only transport in the light: sunlight, moonlight, or fake light. My powers are more powerful in the light than in the dark of night—that's why I wanted you to leave so quickly last night." She took a deep breath. "Maria's powers are stronger in the night." She closed her eyes, searching once again to see what the future had in store for her and Jasper. The outlook wasn't good.

"Alice, was is it?" Jasper asked, taking her trembling hand in his. Even though he'd only met the woman yesterday, seeing her this weak, this vulnerable, wasn't right. She was so strong.

"Maria wants you to kill me."

Jasper took a quick inhale of breath, shocked at what he was hearing. "What? Why? I'd never do it!"

Alice smiled at him. "The problem with being a guardian is that you live forever. You can never die like a human, nor can you really live like one."

"Wait…you're the one who wrote the prophesy, aren't you?" Jasper questioned.

Alice nodded, "Yes, I am the one who foretold of your coming. That's why I knew who to look for."

"Okay, so you've lived for that long…and you can't die? But then how can I kill you?" Jasper questioned.

Alice smiled. "You see, my main weakness is that I follow my heart. There were few humans in my life that I have cared about and learned from. If I were to give my heart away, only the keeper of it can destroy me."

Jasper stared at her, confused. "That doesn't make any sense. So you literally take your heart out of your body and give it to someone?"

Alice laughed at his confused question. "No, not literally. How to explain this…I represent the light, good things in the world. The best thing in the world is love, any kind of love. If someone I loved decided to kill me, they would simply need to plunge a silver dagger through my heart and I would be powerless to stop it. My immortality can't protect me from that. That's why Maria is unable to destroy me because I don't love her, nor do I care about her."

"So, that's why she needs me?" Jasper asked. Alice nodded and he continued. "You care about me?"

Alice nodded. "Yes, Jasper. I've loved you from the first time I saw you in my visions." She laughed nervously. "That's why you are so powerful to Maria. She could get you to kill me, her main nemesis, and take all your power away from you."

"Okay, so if you have weaknesses, Maria must as well, right?" Alice nodded. "What are they?"

"My official title is Protettore della Luce, protector of the light. Maria is the criatura de la noche, the creature of the night. She thrives on pain, betrayal, and power. She doesn't care about anyone. However, in a cruel twist of fate, her power is the one thing that can kill her. She can only be killed by fire; she must be burned alive."

Jasper stared at her. "But if all you needed was fire, why haven't you killed her yet? There's no restrictions on you."

Alice sighed. "I am bonta personified, pure goodness. I can't knowingly take a life. That is another way my power is restricted."

"How come you have so many weaknesses and she has none except she can't kill you?" Jasper questioned. "It's not fair."

"Oh, she has weaknesses. Her only power if the fire throwing or whatever it is that she calls it. The only other thing she has at her diposal is her persuasion—and she's very good at it. That's why I'm so afraid for you to be with her because it will only be too easy for her to convince you to join her side, give her your powers, and destroy me."

"I won't do that, Alice. I swear to you," he whispered fiercely.

She smiled sadly at him, placing her hand on his cheek. "You won't have a choice if you let her in."

"Then I just won't let her in. You'll have to teach me how." Jasper said angrily. There's no way he would kill the goodness in the world, let alone hurt Alice in any way. He felt extremely connected to her. He hoped that would be enough.

"I promise to do everything I can in my power to give you all the tools you need to defeat her and live the way you are destined too." She stood up and put the book away. She went back to Jasper and took his hand. "Come now, it's time to start your training." She pulled him away from the table and into the open tower area. She hoped that with her knowledge and guiding light, Jasper would be strong enough to resist the siren's call.

It had been a week since the night Jasper had met Alice and been swept away in this strange, wonderful world of superheroes, guardians, villains, and gods. He still wasn't one hundred percent sure that this wasn't imagined.

The only thing he hoped he hadn't imagined was Alice. She was the most amazing woman he'd ever met. She was gorgeous, loving, kind, and patient. She taught him things he never thought to think about before, like the rain. He'd never stopped to think about how refreshing and peaceful it was. It could wash away the sins of thousands. She taught him to look at things in a new light.

She also helped him with his powers. Yeah, he'd gotten them, something he still couldn't really believe himself. Even hearing the story of how powerful he was supposed to be, he still hadn't really expected to receive powers. He had learned to fly—something all superheroes could do apparently. That was the first thing Alice had taught him to do. It had taken only a day for him to be able to fly on his own and actually control it.

He couldn't throw fire like Maria could, however he could manipulate an already burning flame. If there was a candle burning, he could maneuver the flame to go wherever he had wanted. He had it down to a science. He could make it as thin as a spider's web or as full as a wave. It was a manipulation on Maria's power and it represented the darkness that is in every person.

But that was balanced out by the light represented by a manipulation of Alice's power. He didn't have a shield like Alice, but that electric purple energy would flow from his hands, almost like lightening bolts. It had scared the life out of him when it happened the first time. He had been trying to manipulate the fire when it shot from his fingers, almost hitting Alice. She hadn't been upset though; she'd simply put up her shield and laughed. She was excited that her power had been transferred into him some how.

Alice had been so patient with him, never getting upset with him for almost hitting her. She always said she was ready for it. Every night she'd squeeze his hand and tell him he's doing a wonderful job. He never believed her, but appreciated her efforts none the same.

After he mastered his powers, she taught him hand to hand. That was the hardest thing to do: pretend to attack Alice. He had learned to never hit women and now he had to attack Alice. She'd keep telling him to not worry about it, that she could take care of herself, but he couldn't bring himself to really try to attack her.

Eventually he forced himself to try after Alice had pinned him five times and told him that he would never last against anyone if he didn't practice now. He had learned, with Alice's help, he also had the power of intuition—he could sense what his opponent was going to do before they moved. Alice said it was because he was a natural fighter. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Now, Alice and him were walking through a park, it was nearing sunset. Jasper felt more and more unsure as the sun started to set. He didn't want Alice to be vulnerable in the dark.

"Jasper? There is one more thing you should know," she said to him, resting her hands on his elbow.

He turned to her, something telling him to memorize her face. "What is it, Alice?"

"You have one more power that has yet to show itself." She shook her head, silently stopping his question. "I can't tell you what it is, you have to wait and see. You'll know it when you feel it," she said cryptically.

She turned her face toward the sky, her eyes getting that faraway look. She sighed sadly. "Our time together is coming to an end, Jasper. She'll be here soon."

Jasper shook his head, pulling Alice closer to him in an attempt to protect her from the unseen threat. "No…I can't leave you. I won't." He tightened his grip on her hands. "I'm not ready."

She smiled at him, resting her hands on his face. "You a_re_ ready, Jasper. You'll be fine, no matter what you choose." She leaned up to kiss his cheek.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He couldn't bear the thought of her leaving—of him being forced to leave her. He didn't even want to think about the idea that he might end up destroying her. "I don't want to leave you."

Alice smiled sadly at him. "I don't want you to leave either, Jasper, but you must." She closed her eyes, taking a sharp intake of breath. She pulled away from him, gripping his hands in hers. "Jasper, this is very important. Don't look directly into her eyes during the night. If you do, you'll lose your free will."

"She's coming? Now?" Jasper asked her.

"Yes." Alice sighed, looking around. "She'll be here in a minute. It's very important that you leave willingly with her. Don't worry about me. Don't try to protect me, I'll be fine. I've seen that." She heard the rustle of leaves and stood in front of Jasper. "Remember what I've told you."

"Well, well, well, isn't this touching," Maria said with fake empathy. She strode up to the pair of them, her boots clicking on the concrete. "I hate to break up this little outing, but I must be going with Jasper."

Alice nodded. "Of course."

Jasper shook his head, refusing to leave Alice if he had a say in it. "No, I'm not going anywhere with you," he spat out, latching onto Alice.

Maria glared at the pair of them, angered that Jasper dared to speak against her. "You _will _be going with me Jasper, whether it's by your choice or my force." She snapped her fingers and two men came out of the shadows, cracking their knuckles and trying to be threatening.

Alice squeezed Jasper's hands before stepping away from him. Her green eyes met his betrayed blue ones, hurt shinning through them. She shook her head at him, hoping he would understand. As soon as she let go of his hands, a look of pain flashed across his face. "You must remember _everything_ I've told you."

As hurt as Jasper was that Alice was leaving him, he understood what it was he was supposed to do. He bowed his head, in an act of submission to Maria as well as one of acceptance to Alice. He hoped she knew that he would never willingly hurt her.

Maria smiled seductively at him, unfazed with the fact that Jasper wasn't even looking at her. She grabbed his hand and started running with him. She heard the two men attack Alice, but she didn't look back.

Jasper flinched and shut his eyes, trying hard not to hear the fighting go on behind him. He didn't want to imagine little Alice fighting, so he pretended it wasn't happening. He just followed Maria blindly, remembering everything Alice had told him. He just wanted to know that he would be okay. Only time would tell.

"Look at me, damn it!" Maria screamed out at Jasper. He would barely look at her and never look into her eyes. It was driving her insane because if he wouldn't look at her, she couldn't talk to him. _That bitch Alice must have told him something._

Jasper looked up at her quickly before directing his gaze elsewhere. "I'm sorry."

Maria changed her approach and mood lightening fast. She strode up to him, swaying her hips. "I just want you to look at me," she purred. She walked around him, directing him to a chair. Her hands trailed all over him before she pushed him into the chair. She straddled him, pressing her hips hard into his, trying to force him to look at her.

She ran her fingers through his hair down to his chest. He was surprisingly built for his physic; she hadn't been expecting it. She figured he would be scrawny like his lanky form suggested, but it was a very pleasant surprise to find out that he wasn't. She couldn't wait to actually _see _what he looked like.

She let her lips trail delicately along his neck, nibbling a little. "I want you," she whispered into his ear, her voice dripping with desire.

Jasper was trying everything in his power to not be affected by her. He knew he didn't want Maria—he wanted Alice, but Maria had a way of making him think he wanted something different. He pulled away from her. "I can't do this."

Maria stared at him, her blood boiling. "Can't you? Or did your little keeper tell you not to?"

Jasper glared at her, accidently making direct eye contact with her. "No, she never told me anything about that, but I don't want to."

Maria took a few steps forward, toward Jasper. "I can give you what she can't," she whispered. "I can do things for you…_to_ you that she would never even consider." She kept her gaze steady on Jasper's, slowly letting her power seep through him. "Don't you want that?" She pretended to look hurt. "Don't you want me?"

Jasper felt her power seeping through him, but was powerless to stop it. He felt his resolve crumbling as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his. She ran her hands down his chest and up under his shirt. He tensed as he felt her hands touching his bare chest. She slowly lifted his shirt over his head.

Maria greedily took in his form, surprised to find herself truly _wanting_ him. "Come to bed with me." He only nodded at her and allowed her to pull him into her bedroom. She smirked to herself, knowing that Alice was not going to survive this. She already had Jasper wrapped around her finger.

Jasper woke up in unfamiliar surroundings. The room was black as night with dark red accents—looking like blood on a black canvas. It creeped him out. He heard someone shifting beside him and froze, the memories from last night bubbling to the front of his mind.

He cursed grabbing his clothes and rushing to the bathroom. He leaned against the counter, hazy images clouding his mind. He could see everything that happened last night clearly, but it was like he was watching it through a distorted screen.

He remembered what happened, but it disgusted him. He knew he didn't want that—want her, but he went through it anyways.

His mind went to Alice and his heart broke, knowing how much it would hurt her. He clenched his eyes shut, gripping the edge of the counter.

"Jasper?" Maria's voice purred through the door. "Are you coming out any time soon? I'm lonely…"

Jasper groaned and shook his head. "Fuck off, Maria."

Maria glared at the door, angry that Jasper would treat her in this way. "Watch your tone, Jasper. You don't know who you're dealing with."

Jasper didn't respond, but sat down on the bathroom floor, refusing to come out. He didn't want to deal with Maria, nor did he want to chance the fact that he might do something else he will regret.

"Damn it!" Maria screeched before knocking in the door. Jasper glanced at her before quickly looking away. She shut the door behind it, baracading them inside—or maybe baracading the outside forces out.

"Maria, you should have known I'd be here the minute you tried something like that," Alice's calm gentle voice called out and made Japser's stomach churn with guilt.

"Oh…so you caught our little performance, did you?" Maria laughed, her evil, bone chilling laugh. "He was amazing." She glanced at Jasper, smiling and trailing her hands through his hair. Jasper shivered under her touch.

Alice laughed, setting Jasper more at ease. "He _is_ amazing, you fool. You may have had him once, but you won't have him again." Her tone took on a more harsh tone.

"You never know, Alice. He might come running back to me after being with you…or should I say, trying to be with you. You'll never give him what I can," Maria said menacingly.

"Why don't we let him choose." One minute the door was there and the next it was gone. Alice stood a few feet from the doorway, lowering her hands to her sides. Jasper guilt stricken eyes met hers, but she smiled at him, a sign of forgiveness. "Hello, Jasper."

Jasper smiled at her for there was no sounds of malice, spite, or anger in her tone, just a happiness at seeing him. But he couldn't say anything back to her because Maria's eyes took control of his vision. She had snuck up on him, forcing him to meet her gaze. She needed him to do what she could not—kill Alice. She told him what to do with her eyes, smug when his hand reached for the silver dagger.

Jasper watched Maria's brown eyes, angry at himself for allowing her to take control of him again, but there was nothing he could really do. His hand gripped the handle of the silver dagger, standing up and facing Alice.

Alice sighed, her sorrow increasing tenfold at the sight before her. "No, Jasper—you're stronger than this. Fight it, please…for me," she begged him. She knew it was most likely futile, but she had to try everything to get him to see. He was better than this, stronger than this, than her. He could fight this.

Jasper saw the horrified look on Alice's face and he hated that he was the one causing it. All of a sudden, he felt warm all over, like he was surrounded by a blanket of love and comfort. It broke him of his trance as he relished in the wonderful feeling. He glanced up at Alice, questions written all over his face.

Alice's face broke into a relieved smile. "That's your other power, the power of feeling and manipulating emotions." She placed her hand over her heart, patting gently. "That's my love for you."

Jasper dropped the dagger, running to Alice's side. He needed to feel her, be with her, so he wrapped his arm around her waist. He was still aware of Maria, but he needed to feel Alice beside him. To know the person who loved him truly existed.

Maria screamed, knowing it was over for her. She glared at Jasper, "Fine…just kill me and get it over with."

Jasper stared at her for a minute thinking of his options. "No, I won't kill you," he said quietly.

"You won't?" Maria asked him, surprise echoing in her voice.

"No, not yet anyway." He sighed, looking down at Alice. "I want to be good—like Alice, and I don't want to kill you. However if you come near Alice again, there will be consequences," he told her severely. "Now go."

Maria stared at him, astonished that he chose not to kill her. She didn't take too long to think about it, she just ran away and didn't look back. She knew what he was capable of and didn't really want to test his patience.

Alice smiled at Jasper, proud of him for taking the high road. It would have been all to easy to kill her, but he chose not to because he didn't want to be that person. She held out her hand to him, the way she had their first night together. He took it gingerly in his, afraid to do anything to upset her. Alice took off running, Jasper at her side, before diving through the window and taking Jasper home.

"Alice…I-I don't even know what to say. I don't know how to even begin to apologize to you for what I did," Jasper said quietly.

Alice smiled at him and gently pressed her finger to his lips. "Shh…Jazz, it's alright. I understand. You didn't really want that. Besides, you have no loyalty to me so even if you did want that, you have no reason to apologize."

Jasper pressed his hand onto her hand, letting her hand rest on his cheek. "How can you be so understanding?"

She smiled at him. "It's what love does to a person. As much as you want to be with them all the time, they need to make their own choices and decisions to go their own way." He still looked horrified with what he'd down. "If it helps you, I forgive you."

He turned his eyes up to meet hers, grateful she was willing and able to forgive him for the mistake he made. She was too good to be true. "Thank you."

Alice nodded to him before returning her gaze to the horizon, watching the sun begin to rise. She placed her hands back in her lap, taking in the scene before her.

"Alice? Did you really—do you really love me?" He asked her hesitantly.

Alice smiled. "Yes, I truly do." She placed her hands on his face, gently pulling it toward her. She lightly pressed her lips to his, showing him with no words how she truly felt about him. He pulled her closer, relishing in the feel of her against him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her forehead.

"Are you ready to start you duties, Superman?" She asked with a laugh.

Jasper laughed along with her. "As long as I've got my Lois Lane."

Alice pushed him away laughing, happy for the first time in a long time. She'd finally gotten what she'd waited for for so long: someone to share her life with. She stood up, pulling him up beside her.

He smiled down at her, realizing he loved her too. He couldn't tell her though, not yet. The timing wasn't right and he'd have to wait for it to be perfect. Somehow, he knew that she would wait for him forever. And that was something he was looking forward too: forever with Alice. He took her hand once again, already missing her touch. "After you, Lois."

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A/N: Please review and let me know what you thought of it. Good, bad, so horrible I should never write again. It's something completely different than I've written or attempted to write...pretty much ever, so I'm a little nervous about it. Reviews make me happy! 3


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